North Slob
Encyclopedia
The North Slob, also known as the Wexford Wildfowl Reserve, is an area of mud-flats at the estuary
of the River Slaney
at Wexford Harbour
, Ireland
. The North Slob is an area of 1,000 hectares that was reclaimed in the mid-19th century by the building of a sea wall. 200 hectares of this reclaimed land is a nature reserve that is jointly owned and managed by BirdWatch Ireland
and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
to Greenland
for the summer months .
, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records has its origins in the North Slob. On 4 May 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver
, then the managing director of the Guinness
Breweries, was on a shooting party in the North Slob when he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird
in Europe, the koshin golden plover
or the grouse
. That evening at Castlebridge House he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird.
He knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs in Britain and Ireland, but there was no book with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular.
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the River Slaney
River Slaney
The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford, before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town...
at Wexford Harbour
Wexford Harbour
Wexford Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland is the natural harbour at the mouth of the River Slaney. The estuary originally was about ten miles wide at its widest point, with large mud flats on both sides. These were known as the North Slob and the South Slob from the Irish word slab, meaning mud...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The North Slob is an area of 1,000 hectares that was reclaimed in the mid-19th century by the building of a sea wall. 200 hectares of this reclaimed land is a nature reserve that is jointly owned and managed by BirdWatch Ireland
BirdWatch Ireland
BirdWatch Ireland is the current name of the organisation that used to be known as the Irish Wildbird Conservancy.BirdWatch Ireland is the leading voluntary conservation organisation in the Republic of Ireland, devoted to the conservation and protection of the Republic of Ireland's wild birds and...
and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Wildlife
The North Slob provides the winter home for 10,000 White-Fronted geese, about one third of the world population, which migrateBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
for the summer months .
Guinness World Records
Guinness World RecordsGuinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records has its origins in the North Slob. On 4 May 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver
Hugh Beaver
Sir Hugh Eyre Campbell Beaver, KBE, was a British engineer, industrialist, and founder of the Guinness Book of Records.-Biography:...
, then the managing director of the Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
Breweries, was on a shooting party in the North Slob when he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
in Europe, the koshin golden plover
Eurasian Golden Plover
The European Golden Plover is a largish plover. This species is similar to two other golden plovers. American Golden Plover, Pluvialis dominiica, and Pacific Golden Plover, Pluvialis fulva, are both smaller, slimmer and relatively longer-legged than European Golden Plover, and both have grey...
or the grouse
Grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
. That evening at Castlebridge House he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird.
He knew that there must be numerous other questions debated nightly in pubs in Britain and Ireland, but there was no book with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove popular.